With all due respect to a genius coach and his gang of misfit parts, it was Tom Brady who led a come-from-way-too-far-behind victory that even some Patriots players didn't imagine possible, sealing his status as the greatest quarterback ever.

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything.